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Mark Keppel High School

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Coordinates: 34°04′12″N 118°06′59″W / 34.069996°N 118.116524°W / 34.069996; -118.116524
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Mark Keppel High School
Address
Map
501 East Hellman Avenue

Alhambra
,
California
91801

United States
Coordinates34°04′12″N 118°06′59″W / 34.069996°N 118.116524°W / 34.069996; -118.116524
Information
TypePublic Secondary
OpenedFebruary 5, 1940; 84 years ago (1940-02-05)[1]
PrincipalAlejandra Perez
Staff84.15 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,205 (2022-23)[2]
Student to teacher ratio26.20[2]
Color(s)  
Athletics conferenceAlmont League
CIF Southern Section
NicknameAztecs
RivalAlhambra High School
NewspaperThe Aztec
Websitemkhs.org
[3]

Mark Keppel High School (MKHS) is a four-year California Distinguished School located in the city of Alhambra, California, in the Alhambra Unified School District.[4] The school is in a residential neighborhood, directly south of the abutting Interstate 10, and just across the street of the northern boundary of Monterey Park. Mark Keppel serves students from portions of Alhambra and Monterey Park.[5][6] Mark Keppel has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges—for the first time in 1965 and most recently in 2020, for a fixed term after each evaluation.[7]

History

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Mark Keppel High School is named after Mark Keppel, Superintendent of Los Angeles County Schools from 1902 to 1928. Construction began December 19, 1938, three days after the ground-breaking ceremonies. The school was one of the thousands of projects built by the Public Works Administration during the Great Depression.

Keppel's Four Flags

Awards

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Demographics

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As of the 2023–2024 school year, the student body was 70.2% Asian American, 24.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 1.3% non-Hispanic White. The remaining 4.3% consisted of Filipino, African-American, Native American, Pacific Islander, and other students. The predominant languages spoken at students' homes are Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish. Approximately 50% of the student population participates in a free or reduced lunch program.[10]

Extracurricular activities

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Visual and performing arts

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In 2007, band and orchestra teacher Dr. Carla Bartlett won the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County's Bravo Award as an in the Arts Specialist division, one of the highlights of her career.[11] Leading the District Band along with rival Alhambra High School's Mark Trulson and San Gabriel High School's Tammy Cognetta, Dr. Bartlett and the marching band qualified to participate in the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Justin Lee, a UCLA graduate, now directs the school's band and orchestra, following Dr. Bartlett's retirement in December 2016.

The school has an active theatre arts program led by Nadine Page Phillips. Plays, musicals, and other performances occur throughout the school year, often in conjunction with the school orchestra. In 2015, Mark Keppel High theatre students were invited to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland where they performed in a rendition of Peter Pan. Various UC "A-G" certified programs such as AP Art History are offered.

Previously, the school also had their own concert choir and show choir, led by their teacher and director Tony Azeltine. The competitive advanced group, known as "Aztec Singers," competed in various show choir competitions across Los Angeles. About once a year, the students would travel out-of-state to perform or compete with other show choir and concert choir students across the continent.

Athletics

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The Varsity football team, under coach Eddie Wagner, beat Pasadena High School 19-13 for the 1944 CIF-SS Championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum.[12]

Mark Keppel has established itself as one of the premier co-ed Badminton schools in Southern California in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The badminton team has won CIF-SS championships in 1987 (3-A), 1990 (3-A), 1991 (3-A), 1992 (3-A), 1993 (I), 1994 (I), 1996 (I), 1997 (I), 1998 (I), and 2010 (I).

Both the Aztec Boys and Girls Varsity swim teams won back-to-back CIF-SS Division IV championships in the 2007 and 2008 season.[13][14] The Girls Varsity swim and dive team won the CIF-SS Division III championships in the 2010 season.[15] In addition, the Aztecs have captured the Division 3 CIF-SS championship 2011 in both Boys and Girls.[citation needed]

The boys Varsity soccer team of 1979 won the CIF-SS Division III championship by beating Orange County's University High School by the score of 4-2. This was the first CIF title for the school in any sport during the previous 25 years.

Publications

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Mark Keppel High School's journalism class runs the monthly newspaper, The Aztec. The yearbook is Teocalli, named after the Aztec temple, and comes out once a year several months before summer break begins. Until June 2016, "Idea Magazine" was a student-run, biannual compilation of Mark Keppel students' work in literature and art, advised by AP English teacher Mrs. Patrice Flores. "U Magazine" is a registered student publications club, also advised by Mrs. Flores, for the school year 2016–2017.

Architecture

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Mark Keppel High School is designed in the Streamline Moderne architectural style, a variant of the Art Deco, and a product of the Great Depression. While the Art Deco celebrated the mechanization of the Jazz Age with big, bold, vertical designs, exotic materials, and elaborate decorations, the Streamline Moderne was a more reserved and utilitarian style. The Streamline Moderne mimicked the fast, dynamic look of machines with sleek, aerodynamic and nautical forms, low horizontal designs, rounded corners, and shiny materials.

The architecture of Mark Keppel High School features rounded corners in and outside the auditorium, on the staircase leading up to the front entrance, and in all the interior stairwells. Incised horizontal lines cut through the brick stringcourse which wraps the lower part of the building and the brick pillars between the windows. The stucco texture coat of the facade features designs that emphasize horizontal shapes; blocks between the windows on both floors and along the top of the building contribute to the geometric, yet sleek look of the building. The uppermost block is bounded by a horizontal brick band, and the building is crowned with a small inset ledge. Extra handrails are found in front of the windows in the second floor hallways, in front of the display cases around the administration offices, and on the north wing exterior staircase.

  • Auditorium & Main Entrance
    Auditorium & Main Entrance
  • Main Building
    Main Building
  • Industrial Arts Building
    Industrial Arts Building
  • Physical Education Building
    Physical Education Building

Murals

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Mark Keppel High School features three bas relief murals made by native Southern California artist, Millard Sheets.

The three enamel on stainless steel murals entitled "Early California" decorate the exterior of the auditorium, and depict the founding of California as well as the regional features of Los Angeles County. The second image show the placement of the two smaller murals on the auditorium.

The largest mural crowns the entrance to the auditorium and depicts the three main groups that colonized and populated California: the Spanish Conquistadors, the Catholic Missionaries, and American Pioneers. The mural features a golden California on a backdrop of green mountain ranges, dotted with golden Redwood trees, and capped with a large reflective stainless steel sun wrapped with a sunburst decoration. On the left, the Conquistador goes before his ship, claiming the new land in the name of Spain. In the center, a Missionary kneels down, gingerly placing a mission in Southern California. On the right, a Miner 49’er pans for gold while his wife holds their child and rifle, their covered wagons behind them.

The two smaller murals are located on the southern facade of the auditorium, facing toward Hellman Ave. The mural in the center right depicts early Los Angeles County with the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, the San Gabriel Mission surrounded by orange groves in the center, a dairy farm with Cowboy below, and the Long Beach Harbor in the south.

The mural on the right showcases the entire state of California. From north to south: a lumberjack cuts down a Redwood tree, two miners pan for gold, and a farmer harvests oranges from his orange grove. A cowboy gallops in on a white horse from the east, while a large ship sails in majestically from the west.

  • Mural above Auditorium entrance
    Mural above Auditorium entrance
  • Southern face of Auditorium
    Southern face of Auditorium
  • California Mural
    California Mural

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "1940's". Mark Keppel High School. Retrieved May 19, 2024. Mark Keppel High School opened its doors to its 1,526 students on February 5, 1940.
  2. ^ a b c "Mark Keppel High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Mario Villegas, A 'Classic' for many reasons, ESPN Los Angeles, November 4, 2010
  4. ^ City of Alhambra 2008-2014 Housing Element, June 2009 (PDF), City of Alhambra, p. 77, archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2011, retrieved June 25, 2010
  5. ^ "Zoning Map". City of Monterrey Park. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  6. ^ "High School Zoning Map" (PDF). Alhambra Unified School District. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "Directory of Schools" (PDF). Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 2019–2020. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "Mark Keppel Science Olympiad team advances to state competition with a record performance". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  9. ^ Alicia Banks (February 13, 2014). "Mark Keppel named champs in L.A. County Academic Decathlon". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California". U.S. News. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Bravo Awards - 2007 Highlights". Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County. February 28, 2007. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  12. ^ "CIF Southern Section Record Book; All-Time Football Champions" (PDF). cifss.org. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  13. ^ "SWIMMING: Congratulations to the Keppel boys and girls swimming teams for winning CIF-SS Division IV team titles on Thursday. It's la Canada's boys turn on Saturday - High School Sports Blog -- from the Sidelines with Miguel Melendez". Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  14. ^ Savard, Brian; et al. (May 21, 2008). "California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division IV High School State Championships". Swimming World News. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  15. ^ "SWIMMING: Keppel girls win third title in four years". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  16. ^ Copley, Robert E. The Tall Mexican: The Life of Hank Aguirre — All-Star Pitcher, Businessman, Humanitarian. Houston: Piñata Books/Arte Público Press (1998).
  17. ^ Hilburn, Robert (July 22, 1990). "Mazzy Star: Shining 'Brightly' : The personal visions of David Roback and Hope Sandoval have fueled a fast-moving album on the alternative-rock charts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "NFL Players | Past & Current NFL Players". NFL.com.
  19. ^ Ryan, Harriet. "Wayne Hughes, self-storage titan and USC megadonor, dead at 87". LA Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  20. ^ "KANG Wei". hkfilmdirectors.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.[dead link]
  21. ^ LA Times - May 24, 2009
  22. ^ "Larry Burright Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  23. ^ "Justin Young - Giải bóng rổ chuyên nghiệp Việt Nam". vba.vn. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018.
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